DALLAS, July 28 /EMWNews/ -- M. Cass Wheeler, the chief

executive officer of the American Heart Association, the nation's largest

voluntary health organization dedicated to heart disease and stroke, has

announced that he will retire at the end of 2008.



    Wheeler, who began his career with the association in 1973 at the

former Texas Affiliate in Austin, said the coming months will be

bittersweet as he prepares to leave the organization he has served for 35

years.



    "It has been a true privilege for me to work with so many wonderful

individuals in the non-profit sector who have a passion for our cause.

We've seen huge progress in the fight against heart disease and stroke over

the last few decades," he said.



    Wheeler, who moved to the association's National Center in Dallas in

1982, has been CEO since 1997.



    Under Wheeler's leadership, the American Heart Association improved its

efficiency and effectiveness by merging its 56 state and metropolitan

affiliates into eight regional affiliates and adopted a single corporate

structure. It also approved a far-reaching health-impact goal calling for

the reduction of coronary heart disease, stroke and risk by 25 percent by

2010. The coronary heart disease portion of this goal was achieved this

year, two years ahead of time.



    During Wheeler's 11-year tenure as CEO, the organization has

experienced its greatest period of financial growth and made many

significant advances, including:



    -- Creating the American Stroke Association as a division of the

American Heart Association.



    -- Launching four cause initiatives: Go Red For Women, a heart disease

awareness campaign for women; Power To End Stroke, a stroke awareness and

prevention campaign for African Americans; Start!, a workplace walking

program that promotes employee fitness; and the Alliance for a Healthier

Generation, a partnership with the Clinton Foundation to fight the

childhood obesity epidemic.



    -- Introducing quality of care initiatives such as Get With The

Guidelines, which encourages hospitals to improve care and outcomes for

heart and stroke patients by following scientifically proven treatments and

guidelines; and Mission: Lifeline, a program to improve treatment for

people suffering the most serious type of heart attack.



    -- Collaborating with the Joint Commission of Healthcare Organizations

to develop a Primary Stroke Center Certification program, and with the

National Committee for Quality Assurance to develop a quality recognition

program for doctors and hospitals.



    -- Expanding awareness and positioning efforts, including the

association's first paid advertising and Ad Council campaigns and major

partnerships such as that with Parade magazine on "The Year of the Heart."



    -- Developing new science that's the foundation of many programs and

initiatives, and launching several strategically focused research programs.



    -- Continuing to enhance its reputation in advocacy, with many

successes in clean indoor air efforts, tobacco excise taxes and a renewed

focus on improving access to care.



    "Cass has been an extraordinary CEO for the American Heart Association

who has taken our organization to new heights in many areas," said David

Josserand, the association's chairman of the board. "While we are

disappointed about the AHA's loss, we also share Cass' excitement about the

next phase of his life."



    Wheeler has been influential within the nonprofit and social sector. He

serves on the boards of Partnership for Prevention, National Center for

Tobacco-Free Kids and has previously served on the boards of Research

America, Independent Sector and the National Health Council. He is the

chair of the Key Philanthropic Organizations Committee for the American

Society of Association Executives, is on the Advisory Council of the Paul

G. Rogers Society for Global Health Research, and the Advisory Council for

Campaign for Public Health. In January 2008, he was appointed to serve on

the Advisory Committee to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention.



    Wheeler's leadership in the nonprofit arena includes a role as

co-convener of the Panel on the Non Profit Sector, an independent national

panel established at the request of the Senate Finance Committee to

consider and recommend actions that will strengthen good governance,

ethical conduct and effective practice of public charities and private

foundations.



    He also served on the President's Commission on Improving Economic

Opportunity in Communities Dependent on Tobacco Production While Protecting

Public Health.



    The American Heart Association's Board of Directors is beginning its

search for Wheeler's successor and hopes to make a decision by October.

    About the American Heart Association



    Founded in 1924, the American Heart Association today is the nation's

oldest and largest voluntary health organization dedicated to building

healthier lives, free of heart disease and stroke. These diseases,

America's No. 1 and No. 3 killers, and all other cardiovascular diseases

claim nearly 870,000 lives a year. In fiscal year 2006-07 the association

invested more than $554 million in research, professional and public

education, advocacy and community service programs to help all Americans

live longer, healthier lives. To learn more, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 or visit

americanheart.org.